Taylor Davis came out of the day with a .571 batting average, while both Hegh and Kelsey Schmidt were .500 at the plate on day two. All four pitchers on staff saw action, with both veterans Gardner and Kelsie Houchens collected three strikeouts on the afternoon.
WKU 6, CENTRAL MICHIGAN 4
The Chippewas got going in the top of one, a fielders' choice led advancing runners and CMU's leadoff hitter home, unearned. Later in the second and fourth frames, Central Michigan plated two more for the 3-0 lead, featuring a groundout force to first base and a sacrifice-fly into center field.
Senior designated hitter Faith Hegh lasered out a ball straight back over the center field wall for her fourth career home run, putting the Hilltoppers on the board in the bottom of the fourth inning.
Following suit for a big fifth inning to tie the ballgame, Taylor Sanders walked with bases loaded off of Central Michigan's pitcher, sending TJ Webster across the plate. With Hegh at-bat and a pitching change, the Chippewas accumulated a passed ball behind the plate, sending runners advancing and Brylee Hage to home plate for the tying run.
Central Michigan worked through though, their cleanup hitter notched an RBI double into center field to tie up the game again in the top of six, not until the Tops came back in the bottom frame.
Brylee Hage took in a two-run RBI double into left field to kick off a one-run lead as both Webster and Schmidt hit themselves on base and put themselves in scoring position. Faith Hegh captured her second RBI of the ballgame with the insurance run: a sacrifice-fly lined out in center field, as Hage tagged up and went home.
From the circle, freshman Maddy Wood got her first career start, racking up seven hits, one earned run, and a strikeout before Luna Curran came in for relief. Curran pitched 1.2 innings, gaining one run off of two hits and walking one. Kelsie Houchens came in for the last three innings, earning the win as she only gave up two hits and a run, while striking out three at the plate.
WKU 3, JACKSONVILLE STATE 4
Jumping on the board first, Hegh doubled into right-center field, scoring Taylor Davis for an early 1-0 lead.
Later in the bottom of the fourth, freshman Addy Edgmon gained her first RBI on the weekend through the right side, advancing the runners to closeout a 2-0 shutout before the Gamecocks would come back with a solo home run to the scoreboard in the top of the fifth.
In the first hit of her career, Kaytlan Kemp shot a blooper into shallow left field on the first pitch of her at-bat, sending Schmidt home and Kemp's first RBI of her career for a 3-1 ballgame.
A tough top of the seventh, JSU plated one in the inning with a shallow ball just slightly towards the first base line, as the throw from first to home was not in time with bases loaded. Jacksonville State later took over the tying run with a sacrifice-fly, before the game was decided on a Gamecock RBI fielder's choice.
Senior Katie Gardner partook in her fourth complete game of the season, giving up four runs off of seven hits. She only walked and struck out three in her seven innings in the circle.
The Hilltoppers' are back to wrap up the Hilltopper Classic tomorrow afternoon facing Illinois State at 12:30 p.m. at the WKU Softball Complex.
TOP STORYLINES
- WKU Softball now holds a perfect 3-0 all-time record over Central Michigan, while the Gamecocks now hold the upper hand 3-2 record as Jacksonville State enters Conference USA in the summer.
- Last Hilltopper Classic, the Hilltoppers' swept every opponent, run-ruling Central Michigan and Bellarmine in Bowling Green.
- Head coach Amy Tudor is three wins away from her career 500-win mark. She owns 280 of those wins as the head coach at WKU.
- The Hilltoppers stay at home next weekend, WKU will host the annual Hilltopper Spring Fling Tournament at the WKU Softball Complex.
- On the stat sheet, Brylee Hage is leading the tops with a .432 batting average, while also collecting 19 hits on the season and Taylor Sanders notches 13 RBIs and three home runs for 2023.
- The Hilltoppers ended the 2022 season collectively with 38 home runs, 240 RBI, and a .303 batting average from the dugout.
- In the Conference USA Preseason Coaches Poll, the Hilltoppers were predicted to finish second in C-USA, while fifth-year outfielder Taylor Davis was named to the Preseason All-Conference team.
How to Follow Hilltopper Softball: For complete information on WKU Softball, follow the team on Twitter at @WKUSoftball, Instagram @WKU_Softball, and Facebook/WKUSoftball.
